15 Ways to Live Lent

Mother Church gives us the gift of the liturgical calendar for many reasons, most especially to remind us of the Salvation Plan of God and to help us, her faithful, to be united with the Triune God. During Lent, we are asked to live the three pillars of the Lenten season – almsgiving, fasting and prayer.

Here are a few ideas you can consider incorporating into your Lenten journey:

1. Give Alms. Collect a few cents / dollars a week and place them in a box or bowl. After the 40 days, you will be surprised what you have collected. Give this collection to a ministry serving the poor. Your parish may also participate in the CRS Rice Bowl program.
2. Fast! Fasting can mean abstaining from food or a meal. Consider, too, fasting from something that is keeping you from spending a few minutes with God in prayer and/or keeping you away from your family. For example, limit time watching television.
3. Pray as You Start Your Day. Implore the grace of God : “Father, Son and Holy Spirit, help me see your love for me today.”
4. Implore Your Guardian Angel to assist you, throughout the day. Pray the traditional prayer to our Guardian Angel or simply ask your Guardian Angel to walk with you and help you from falling (literally), and to help you remain focused on your walk with Christ.
5. Schedule Time to Pray. Make an effort to spend at least 10-15 minutes daily in concentrated prayer. (Ex: Morning, lunch break, after dinner, etc.)
6. Listen to the Lord. Make an effort to schedule a Holy Hour once a week. OR some time in silent prayer before Jesus in His Eucharistic Presence. Do not be tempted to bring lots of reading material during this Hour. This Holy Hour is your special time with Jesus, the Son of God! Speak briefly, listen and listen! You can use MassTimes.org to search for nearby Adoration Chapel hours that will work with your schedule.
7. If You are Married – Pray with your spouse daily. Ex: Before you sleep, pray the Lord’s Prayer, Memorare or other favorite prayer. During the day, make an effort to encourage your spouse, and say “thank you” for little things.
8. Pray the Act of Contrition daily, especially before you sleep.
9. Go to Confession. Receive this Sacrament of Reconciliation and of Healing. During Lent, your local parishes will likely have increased opportunities for Reconciliation. Try to schedule time for this sacrament about once a month.
10. Ask Mary to help you in all you do. Pray the Rosary daily! It only takes about 15 minutes. There are so many Rosary meditations available for you to use. Contact us at the Pilgrim Center of Hope to purchase our new men’s prayer book, Son of Man to Man, or women’s prayer book, Come to Me. Both include custom Rosary meditations.
11. Read the Word of God – the Bible. The Word of God is alive and refreshes the soul! A good starting place is to read the daily gospel passage. You can find this on the US Bishops’ website, or by using an app such as the free Catholic app Laudate.
12. Read a book that will help you in your spiritual growth. We have dozens of recommendations on our website.
13. Read a story of a saint. There are so many! Their lives witnessed courage and humility. Discover dozens of saints on our website.
14. Watch a religious movie such as The Passion of Christ, or classics like The Ten Commandments and The Robe.
15. Attend a spiritual event, such as a parish mission, or one of the events sponsored by the Pilgrim Center of Hope.

This list is just one of many “Ways to Live Your Faith” featured in our monthly email digest of spiritual tools. Sign up for our email list to receive them first in your inbox!